MANILA, Philippines — As the campaign season heats up leading to the May elections, senatorial candidate Gen. Guillermo Eleazar reached out to residents and local chief executives in Soccsksargen (Region 12) on Wednesday to introduce himself and present his legislative priorities.
Eleazar’s first stop was in General Santos City, dubbed as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines, where he visited a local fish port to check on the condition of the fishermen. There, Eleazar learned of the locals’ problem about the dwindling supply of tuna due to overfishing.
To address this, Eleazar said that the government should encourage local fishermen to go to their traditional grounds without the constant fear of getting harassed. He said there should be regular maritime patrols in the traditional fishing ground to ensure that they are not being intimidated or harassed by foreign vessels.
“Sa nakikita ko, ang pinakamaganda ay masiguro natin na itong teritoryong ito ay hindi maaagaw kundi mababantayan. Kaya nga mas maganda na maisulong natin na hindi lang palakasin ‘yung Maritime Group ng PNP kundi pati ang ating Coast Guard,” Eleazar said in an interview with Bombo Radyo-GenSan.
He also proposed that the government should support the exportation of tuna by establishing direct international flights from General Santos City to other parts of the world, such as Japan, to ensure freshness of the fish.
Eleazar wants to establish an insurance system for fishermen to ensure they can easily recover in times of calamities.
In Polomolok, South Cotabato, the Partido Reporma candidate held a motorcade and paid a courtesy visit to Mayor Honey-Lumayag-Matti.
He also held a “meet and greet” event with persons with disability, criminology students from the General Santos Academy, and indigenous people group Pangkat ng Mamamayan ng South Cotabato.
Eleazar then proceeded to pay a courtesy visit on South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. before dropping by at the offices of Mayor Eliordo Ogena of Koronadal, South Cotabato; and Mayor Lino Montilla of Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat.
The former national police chief also visited Mayor Marop Ampatuan of Shariff Aguak and Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi of Cotabato City, who both expressed support for his candidacy.